Morning in the Streets
Encyclopedia
Morning in the Streets is a BBC
television documentary
directed by Denis Mitchell
and Roy Harris in 1959
, for the BBC Northern Film Unit. It was broadcast on 25 March 1959.
The documentary was described simply as "an impression of life and opinion in the back streets of a northern city in the morning".
It is an impressionistic slice-of-life documentary, featuring footage of working-class people and street scenes, accompanied by a montage soundtrack of voices conveying opinions and philosophies on life. The film was researched by a well-known writer on Liverpool life and dialect
Frank Shaw. It is one of the few televisual documents to reflect the post-war austerity felt by areas such as Liverpool in the 1950s, puncturing the myth of post-war cross-class affluence.
The music was specially composed by Thomas Henderson and Liverpool songwriter Stan Kelly
, and featured the harmonica of classical musician Tommy Reilly
.
for the BBC North Region, as part of his People Talking series, and broadcast on 27 October 1958. The programme was a kaleidoscope of voices, sounds and stories recorded by Mitchell using a portable tape recorder. These recordings provided the inspiration and the basis of the soundtrack for Morning in the Streets.
in 2008 as part of the Liverpool on the Box season to coincide with the city being European Capital of Culture
, and then again in September 2010.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television documentary
Television documentary
Documentary television is a genre of television programming that broadcasts documentaries.* Documentary television series, a television series which is made up of documentary episodes....
directed by Denis Mitchell
Denis Mitchell (filmmaker)
Denis Mitchell was an award winning British documentary filmmaker, renowned for his innovative radio and television documentaries...
and Roy Harris in 1959
1959 in film
The year 1959 in film involved some significant events, with Ben-Hur winning a record 11 Academy Awards.-Events:* The Three Stooges make their 190th and last short film, Sappy Bull Fighters....
, for the BBC Northern Film Unit. It was broadcast on 25 March 1959.
The documentary was described simply as "an impression of life and opinion in the back streets of a northern city in the morning".
It is an impressionistic slice-of-life documentary, featuring footage of working-class people and street scenes, accompanied by a montage soundtrack of voices conveying opinions and philosophies on life. The film was researched by a well-known writer on Liverpool life and dialect
Scouse
Scouse is an accent and dialect of English found primarily in the Metropolitan county of Merseyside, and closely associated with the city of Liverpool and the adjoining urban areas such as the boroughs of south Sefton, Knowsley and the Wirral...
Frank Shaw. It is one of the few televisual documents to reflect the post-war austerity felt by areas such as Liverpool in the 1950s, puncturing the myth of post-war cross-class affluence.
The music was specially composed by Thomas Henderson and Liverpool songwriter Stan Kelly
Stan Kelly-Bootle
Stan Kelly-Bootle is an author of nine books and numerous magazine articles, and songwriter. His most famous song is the Liverpool Lullaby , which Cilla Black recorded in 1969 as the B-side to her pop hit Conversations...
, and featured the harmonica of classical musician Tommy Reilly
Tommy Reilly
Thomas Rundle Reilly MBE was a Canadian classical harmonica player. He began studying violin at eight and began playing harmonica at aged eleven as a member of his father's band...
.
The Talking Streets
The Talking Streets was a radio feature produced by Denis MitchellDenis Mitchell (filmmaker)
Denis Mitchell was an award winning British documentary filmmaker, renowned for his innovative radio and television documentaries...
for the BBC North Region, as part of his People Talking series, and broadcast on 27 October 1958. The programme was a kaleidoscope of voices, sounds and stories recorded by Mitchell using a portable tape recorder. These recordings provided the inspiration and the basis of the soundtrack for Morning in the Streets.
Recent revivals
It was shown on BBC FourBBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
in 2008 as part of the Liverpool on the Box season to coincide with the city being European Capital of Culture
European Capital of Culture
The European Capital of Culture is a city designated by theEuropean Union for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European dimension....
, and then again in September 2010.
External links
- Morning in the Streets at the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Archive - Morning in the Streets BBC Liverpool article
- Morning in the Streets (1959) at the British Film InstituteBritish Film InstituteThe British Film Institute is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to:-Cinemas:The BFI runs the BFI Southbank and IMAX theatre, both located on the south bank of the River Thames in London...
's Screenonline website